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1 | Title | Poet | Source | Date of Composition | Publication | Voice Difficulty | Subject | Range | Tessitura | Tempo | Duration | Vocal Characteristics | Piano Difficulty | Accompaniment Characteristics | Additional Comments | ||||||||||
2 | A Poison Tree | William Blake (1757-1827) | Songs and Proverbs of William Blake | 1965 (Apr. 6) | Faber, 1965 | Difficult | Certain demise of one who holds a grudge. | Bb3 – Gb5 | Eb4 – Cb5 | Slow and solemn; 4/2 | 3:55 | Opening phrases are very supported by piano, but as the friendship sours, the relationship of voice and piano follows; requires pitch and rhythmic independence; decrescendo on ascending arpeggio to Gb5; full gamut of dynamics | Difficult | Requires varying advanced techniques; eighth note triplet chords between hands followed by sustained chords; individual, yet related, lines moving in different rhythms between hands; full range of dynamic color | pp. 13, the manuscript does not contain the indication with movement | ||||||||||
3 | Ah, Sun-Flower | William Blake (1757-1827) | Songs and Proverbs of William Blake | 1965 (Apr. 6) | Faber, 1965 | Difficult | Embracing the after life. | C4 – E5 | G4 – Db5 | Slow march; (4/4) | 2:56 | Melody moves in intervals of 3rds; complete rhythmic and pitch independence; no sense of rhythmic pulse; | Difficult | Three alternating clefs; heavy quintuplet figures; grace notes preceeding; rhythmically challenging; tremolo in interval voices of chords; | Meter changes are unmarked, despite 4/4 indication; | ||||||||||
4 | At the Railway Station, Upway | Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) | Winter Words | 1953 (Mar. – Sep.) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1953 | Difficult | A boy plays his violin for a handcuffed convict waiting on a train. | E4 – G5 | E4 – D5 | Lightly and like an improvisation; 4/4 | 1:54 | Entire song is recitative like, with the exception of the convict’s song; wordy; | Difficult | Only in treble clef; Britten indicates “like and improvistation,” and there is virtually no rhythm to the song; arpeggiated grace notes; stylistically variant | No tonal or rhythmic anchor; requires independence and great collaboration between singer and pianist; Manuscript does not include numerical tempo marking; tempo indication in the manuscript reads “lightly;” pp. 28, indications of (sustained) and moving forward are not in the manuscript; pp. 29, indications of rhythmic and (as before) are not in the manuscript | ||||||||||
5 | Batter my heart | John Donne (c.1572-1631) | The Holy Sonnets of John Donne | 1945 (Aug. 6) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1946 | Difficult | Oppress me, to raise me up. | C#4 – A5 | G4 – Gb5 | Presto agitato; 4/8 | 1:28 | Wordy, high-lying, fast melody; alternates between triple and duple syncopation feel in vocal line; sustained two measures above the staff; constant changing of accidental chromatic pitches | Difficult | Constantly driving triple sixteenth-note figure; contrary motion between hands; | Numerical tempo indication is not in the manuscript; p. 9, ms. 6, the piano indication of sempre piu f is not in the manuscript; p. 10, ms. 1, the manuscript contains the marking (3/2) on beat four, possibly a fingering; manuscript indicates the duration as 1:10 | ||||||||||
6 | Bed-time | William Soutar (1898-1943) | Who Are These Children? | 1969 (Spring-Summer) | Faber Music, 1972 | Moderate | Its time for my children to go to bed. (Scottish dialect) | Db4 – Gb5 | F4 – C5 | Slowly moving; 4/4 | 0:58 | Two repeated phrases; leaps of 7ths followed by descending line in sequential statements; | Difficult | Doubles vocal line; seconds in both hands; rolled chords | Meter changes; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1144 | ||||||||||
7 | Canticle I | Francis Quarles (1592-1644) | single piece | 1947 (Sep. 4-12) | Boosey & Company © 1948 | Difficult | I am my beloved’s, he is mine. | C#4 – G5 | G4 – F5 | Andante alla barcarola; 6/8 | 7:52 | Long phrases; independent lines; long melismas; duple and quartal rhythms against triple; recitative section; staccato jumpy section; | Difficult | Rocking 6/8 barcarolle in left hand with independent right hand melody with sixteenth notes and syncopation; rocking feeling chords between hands; triple against duple sixteenth contrary motion in both hands; jumpy, staccato contrapuntal lines | Various keys, meters, and tempi; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1011 | ||||||||||
8 | Canticle III | Edith Sitwell (1887-1964) | single piece | 1954 (27 Nov.) | Boosey & Company © 1955 | Difficult | An allegory of the British people during the Second World War. | C4 – G5 | Bb4 – F5 | Slow and distant; 5/4 | 11:41 | Multi-sectioned, but each begins with sobbing tears motive; secondo passaggio oriented vocal lines; highly chromatic; nearly all recitative style with little rhythmic impulse; demands independence; Sprechstimme | Difficult | Varying styles; open chords, declamatory, jumpy, staccato eighth note chords; tremolo; twelve tone; | Obligatto horn; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1049 | ||||||||||
9 | Canticle V | Thomas Stearns Elliott (1888-1965) | single piece | 1974 (July) | Boosey & Company © 1975 | Difficult | In the shadow of death, he holds on to youthful beauty. | B3 – Ab5 | G4 – E5 | With Movement; 4/4 | 7:16 | Demands advanced technique and musicianship in collaboration with harpist; multi-layered character | Varying sections of multiple themes; | ||||||||||||
10 | Dance of Death | Thomas Ravenscroft (c.1582/92 – 1635) | Our Hunting Fathers | 1936 (May 13 – Jul. 23) | Difficult | A politically charged, diabolical dance. | Bb3 – B5 | D4 – F#5 | Very fast and lively; 6/8 | Wordy with hushed opening; multiple leaps to the upper register; rhythmically challenging; extended high phrases; multiple melismatic passages; singing on rolled ‘r’; operatic in scope | Difficult | Orchestral reduction requiring multiple layers of techniques | |||||||||||||
11 | Echo | Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) | The Poet’s Echo | 1965 (Aug. 23) | Faber Music Ltd., 1967* | Difficult | Like the echo, the poet’s voice is not returned. | C4 – Ab5 | F4 – C5 | Largamente; 6/4 | 4:23 | Challenging vocal lines demand advanced technique | Difficult | Piano does “echo” the vocal melody; highly complex harmonic, chromatic landscape; repetitive lines echoing both the voice and the piano itself | Multiple meter changes; key is irrelevant; markings in parenthesis of dynamic are not editors markings, but Britten’s; they do appear in the manuscript; *Translations in the Faber by Pears; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1123 | ||||||||||
12 | Epilogue and Funeral March | Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) | Our Hunting Fathers | 1936 (May 13 – Jul. 23) | Difficult | Multi-layered poetic imagery. | C4 – G5 | G4 – Eb5 | Very slow; C | Independent vocal line; slow, but not with long phrases; rhythms follow flow of text; extended leaps | Difficult | Orchestral reduction requiring multiple layers of techniques | |||||||||||||
13 | Hälfte des Lebens | Friedrich Hölderlin (1770-1843) | Sechs Hölderin Fragmente | 1958 (Summer) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1962* | Difficult | Metaphoric examination of life. (From an unraveling mind.) | E4 – Ab5 | C4 – E5 | Slow; 2/2 (3/2) | 1:52 | Melody largely based on semi-tones; long, sustained phrases in the slow section; | Difficult | Triplets throughout, alternating hands; pedal tone in left hand; sudden shifts in clef; | Extreme challenge of new tempo and return to original tempo is very sudden in the middle section; | ||||||||||
14 | Lines Written During a Sleepless Night | Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) | The Poet’s Echo | 1965 (Aug. 23) | Faber Music Ltd., 1967* | Difficult | The poet cannot sleep, plagued by voices in his head. | C4 – Ab5 | A4 – Eb5 | Andante; 4/4 | 3:46 | Requires pitch independence; jarring tied, duple/triple eighth motive demonstrating unease of mind; demands advanced technique | Difficult | Placid moving eighth-notes, interjected with sharp accented quarters; contrary motion in some gestures; | Markings in parenthesis are not editor’s markings, but Britten’s; they do appear in the manuscript; the indication of (con Ped.) in ms. 51 does not appear in the manuscript; Translations in the Faber score by Pears; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1123 | ||||||||||
15 | London | William Blake (1757-1827) | Songs and Proverbs of William Blake | 1965 (Apr. 6) | Faber, 1965 | Difficult | A dark view of Blake’s London. | D4 – Gb5 | Ab4 – Eb5 | Very agitated; 2/2-3/2 | 1:50 | High lying for the baritone voice; phrases seem to have pauses rather than rests; requires complete pitch and rhythm independence | Difficult | Running quintuplets above triplets in the left hand; | 2/2 to 3/2 meter change is not in a strict pattern | ||||||||||
16 | Marine | Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) | Les Illuminations | 1939 (Mar. 18) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1944 | Difficult | Boats float on the sea. | E4 – Bb5 | A4 – E5 | Allegro con brio; 3/4 | 1:00 | Accented detached jumpy eighth-note, pointilistic melody followed by fast sixteenth scalar passage; similar pointilistic eighth-note passage but on the off beats followed by more scalar passages with chromatics; ending on full bodied A5 | Difficult | Piano transcription by the composer; fast sixteenth-note patterns in the right hand; pointilistic eighth notes in the left hand; reversed idea for a time | |||||||||||
17 | Messelina | anon. | Our Hunting Fathers | 1936 (May 13 – Jul. 23) | Difficult | Messalina has lost her only thing of value. | G3 – Bb5 (Bb3 – Bb5) | D4 –F5 | Slowly moving; C | Phrases begin high and descend; long phrases at a slow tempo | Difficult | Orchestral reduction requiring multiple layers of techniques | |||||||||||||
18 | Nightmare | William Soutar (1898-1943) | Who Are These Children? | 1969 (Spring-Summer) | Faber Music, 1972 | Moderately Difficult | There lies a fine line between nightmare and reality. | C4 – Ab5 | G4 – D5 | Quietly; no meter | 2:27 | Vocal line does not rhythmically align with the piano at all times; short phrases; requires pitch independence; ascending sixths to top of range then quick descents; | Difficult | Consistent repetitive figure of seven eighth notes; sections are marked as repeat with no notation; intervals in left hand while the ostinato repeats above; requires full attention to the singer to line up phrases | Meter changes often; requires sophisticated collaboration due to the lack of rhythmic pulse; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1144 | ||||||||||
19 | O might those sighes and tears | John Donne (c.1572-1631) | The Holy Sonnets of John Donne | 1945 (Aug. 3) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1946 | Difficult | I cry in grief because of my pride. | G4 – A5 | B4 – D5 | Andante con moto; 4/4 | 2:55 | Long legato phrases; high percentage of dissonance, many times vocal line and piano a semi-tone apart switching between B4 and C5; recitative-like section; | Moderate | Sensitive weeping accompaniment figures; tremolo recitative-like section; | A sketch of the first 10 measures was scratched out in the manuscript a M3 lower; numerical tempo indication is not in the manuscript; mm. 3, the manuscript does not contain the marking of lamentoso; pp. 14, mm. 7, manuscript reads “Slow” in the piano score; manuscript indicates the duration as 3:00 | ||||||||||
20 | O my blacke Soule! | John Donne (c.1572-1631) | The Holy Sonnets of John Donne | 1945 (Aug. 2) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1946 | Difficult | I am a sinner who needs the blood of Christ. | C4 – G5 | F4 – Eb5 | Grave; 2/2 | 3:03 | Multiple semi-tone dissonances with accompaniment in secondo passaggio and lower register; completely independent vocal line requires strong sense of rhythm; descending lines; chromatic ascension in secondo passaggio | Difficult | False sense of downbeat due to placement of sixteenth rest/sixteenth note gesture; chord clusters; extremes of dynamics | Numerical tempo indication is not in the manuscript; pp. 5, mm. 2, piano dynamic in manuscript reads ff; manuscript indicates the duration as 3:00 | ||||||||||
21 | Oh to vex me | John Donne (c.1572-1631) | The Holy Sonnets of John Donne | 1945 (Aug. 7) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1946 | Difficult | I pray to God at night and fear him in the morning. | C4 – G#5 | E4 – E5 | Allegro fantastico; 2/4 | 1:16 | Pointillistic eighth note melody; wordy; quarter note triplet figures across bar lines; seven measure triplet melisma against sixteenth and eighth note pulse in accompaniment; | Difficult | Driving sixteenth note figures in octaves; sixteenth note counter-melody in right hand with detached eighth notes in the left hand; driving sixteenth notes in contrary motion between hands; | Numerical tempo indication is not in the manuscript; there are many more fingering suggestions in the manuscript than in the published score; pp. 16, mm. 3, manuscript contains a “Ped.” indication on beat two; pp. 18, mm. 8, manuscript has a piano dynamic of ppp indicated on downbeat; pp. 19, mm. 4, manuscript has a dynamic of pp for both voice and piano; pp. 19, manuscript indicates a crescendo from downbeat of mm. 6 to mm. 7 beat 2, and a decrescendo from mm. 7 beat 2 to the end of measure 8, in addition there are also accents on the downbeat of mm. 6, mm. 7 beat 2, and the downbeat of mm. 9; manuscript indicates the duration as 1:00 | ||||||||||
22 | Parade | Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) | Les Illuminations | 1939 (Oct. 9) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1944 | Difficult | A descriptive scene of a parade of savages. | G3 – A5 (C#4 – A5) | G4 – D5 | Alla marcia; 2/2 | 2:50 | Quick and wordy; ascending chromatic motion; octave leaps; full extent of vocal range; expansive full-bodied phrases alternate with syllabic, speech-like phrases; | Difficult | Piano reduction by the composer; running triplet figures in both hands in varying directions; tremolo; chromatic scales; right hand counter melody in octaves; rhythmic challenge | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC867 | ||||||||||
23 | Prologue (O. H. F.) | Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) | Our Hunting Fathers | 1936 (May 13 – Jul. 23) | Difficult | Multi-layered poetic imagery. | G3 – Ab5 (B3 – Ab5) | G4 – E5 | Slow like a recitative; C | Recitative-like; requires pitch and rhythmic independence; complex rhythms that follow textual flow | Difficult | Orchestral reduction requiring multiple layers of techniques | |||||||||||||
24 | Proverb I | William Blake (1757-1827) | Songs and Proverbs of William Blake | 1965 (Apr. 6) | Faber, 1965 | Difficult | Setting up the grim view of Blake’s London. | F#4 – D5 | F#4 – D5 | Recitative (broadly) | 0:50 | Rhythmic and pitch independence; lies in passaggio for baritone | Difficult | Five octave flourishes; octave quarter notes in both hands; | Lack of meter pulse makes this collaboration a challenge; Proverb I, manuscript contains the marking (quarter = ), but the indication of 60 is not present; the remainder of the work contains no numerical tempo indication | ||||||||||
25 | Proverb II | William Blake (1757-1827) | Songs and Proverbs of William Blake | 1965 (Apr. 6) | Faber, 1965 | Difficult | The hypocritical English religious scene. | D#4 – B4 | D#4 - B4 | As at the start | 0:24 | Requires pitch and rhythmic independence | Difficult | Flourishes followed by octave quarter notes in both hands | |||||||||||
26 | Rats Away! | anon. | Our Hunting Fathers | 1936 (May 13 – Jul. 23) | Difficult | A prayer to do away with all evil. | G3 – A5 (B3 – A5) | D5 – G5 | Quick, with fire; C | Requires advanced techniques; independent vocal lines; utilizes entirety of range and facility, while singing non-lyric text; extended leaps and melismas | Difficult | Orchestral reduction requiring multiple layers of techniques | |||||||||||||
27 | Since she whom I loved | John Donne (c.1572-1631) | The Holy Sonnets of John Donne | 1945 (Aug. 8) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1946 | Difficult | My love has died. | E4 – Ab5 | G4 – F5 | Adagio molto rubato; 3/4 | 3:36 | Smooth and legato line; some high-lying phrases; duple against consistent triple in the piano; nebulous quality due to lack of strong rhythmic pulse | Difficult | Consistent, rocking triplet figures in both hands throughout; much dynamic contrast | Numerical tempo indication is not in the manuscript; manuscript indicates the tempo as “Andante molto rubato;” pp. 25, in the manuscript the f indicated at mm. 11 occurs two measures earlier on the downbeat of mm. 9; manuscript indicates the duration as 3:50 | ||||||||||
28 | Slaughter | William Soutar (1898-1943) | Who Are These Children? | 1969 (Spring-Summer) | Faber Music, 1972 | Difficult | The lives of those who have been killed carry into the present. | C4 – Ab5 | Ab4 – E5 | Broadly; 2/2 | 2:34 | High-lying phrases; complex, syncopated rhythms; entrance on Ab5; last phrase is an ascending E whole tone scale; | Difficult | Fast octave eighth-note duples, off-set by one eighth note between hands; jumpy range | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1144 | ||||||||||
29 | The Children | William Soutar (1898-1943) | Who Are These Children? | 1969 (Spring-Summer) | Faber Music, 1972 | Difficult | After war, the weather clears, but the children’s blood stains the earth. | B3 – Ab5 | F4 – E5 | Very Slow; 2/4 | 3:50 | Requires independence of pitch and rhythm; leaps at the ends of phrases to high soft tones; three straight entrances on G5 which descend; | Difficult | Ethereal, haunting, quarter note thirds with passing-tone grace notes ahead of beat; moving eighth note intervals and chords; tremolo sections; a section of high rhythmic complextity | Meter changes; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1144 | ||||||||||
30 | The Chimney Sweeper | William Blake (1757-1827) | Songs and Proverbs of William Blake | 1965 (Apr. 6) | Faber, 1965 | Difficult | A tale of neglectful parents. | C4 – F#5 | F#4 – D5 | Rather slow, cold; 6/8 | 2:21 | Pointillistic, 12-tone, exposed melody; high-lying phrases for baritone; low dynamic levels throughout; | Difficult | Both hands in treble clef; rhythmically complex; quintuplets; 32nd notes; flourishes with varying rhythmic figures; septulets between hands | |||||||||||
31 | The Nightingale and the Rose | Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) | The Poet’s Echo | 1965 (Aug. 23) | Faber Music Ltd., 1967* | Difficult | A tale of impossible love. | D#4 – A5 | E4 – E5 | Tranquillo; 4/4 | 3:35 | High lying, soft phrases; strong high outbursts; high, broken melismas; leap of a Maj. 10; | Difficult | In seconds, mimicking the call of the nightingale; rhythmic complexity; sixteenth note scalar passages in seconds; sextuplet flourishes; | Meter changes; Markings in parenthesis of dynamic are not editor’s markings, but Britten’s; they do appear in the manuscript; *Translations in the Faber score by Pears; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1123 | ||||||||||
32 | The Tyger | William Blake (1757-1827) | Songs and Proverbs of William Blake | 1965 (Apr. 6) | Faber, 1965 | Difficult | Questioning of good and evil. | Bb3 – Eb5 | D#4 – A4 | Quick and muted; 2/4 | 1:58 | Syncopated, short, low-lying phrases; a few sequential phrases of changing meter that make the collaboration a challenge | Difficult | Eighth notes with rhythmically displaced triplet sixteenths between hands runs throughout the entire song | Changing meter | ||||||||||
33 | Thou hast made me | John Donne (c.1572-1631) | The Holy Sonnets of John Donne | 1945 (Aug. 9) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1946 | Difficult | Do not let your creation die. | D4 – Ab5 | G4 – Eb5 | Presto agitato; 2/2 | 1:26 | Independent vocal line; quickly moving 4 ms. phrases; syllabic setting of text; a couple of sustained G5 with decrescendo | Difficult | Ascending and descending chromatic scales (single note and octave) trading off between hands at a quick tempo | Numerical tempo indication is not in the manuscript; manuscript contains many fingering suggestions not in the score; pp. 35, mm. 2 and 5, the text “flesh” and “weigh” are written in large uppercase letters in the manuscript; manuscript indicates the duration as 1:20 | ||||||||||
34 | What if this present | John Donne (c.1572-1631) | The Holy Sonnets of John Donne | 1945 (Aug. 14) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1946 | Difficult | If this is the end, give me the mind of Christ. | D4 – Bb5 | Gb4 – E5 | Alla marcia moderato; 4/4 | 2:54 | Independent vocal line; short, 2-3 ms. phrases; chromatic, melismatic passage; otherwise, syllabic setting of text | Difficult | Parallel lines between hands at times; running sextuplet figures in both hands; left hand punctuates florid right hand lines with stacatto chords | Numerical tempo indication is not in the manuscript; manuscript indicates the duration as 2:40 | ||||||||||
35 | 3a Phrase | Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) | Les Illuminations | 1939 (Mar. – Oct. 25) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1944 | Moderate | I decorated, and I dance. | Bb4 – Bb5 | B4 – C#5 | Lento ed estatico; 3/2 | 0:42 | Independent vocal line with sparse accompaniment; falsetto(male) appropriate for final phrase; pp Bb5 | Easy | Open chords | As this piece would likely never be performed outside of the context of this cycle the voice and piano level of this piece does not reflect what the cycle would require. | ||||||||||
36 | A Cradle Song | William Blake (1757-1827) | A Charm of Lullabies | 1947 (Nov.-17 Dec.) | A Charm of Lullabies; Boosey & Hawkes, 1949 | Moderate | A lullaby | Bb3 – E5 | Eb4 – B5 | Allegretto tranquillo; 4/4 | 1:53 | Short legato phrases; requires pitch independence; | Moderate | Rocking quarter pulse in right hand with ebb and flow of running eighths and sixteenths in the right hand | From the Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1013 | ||||||||||
37 | A Laddie's Song | William Soutar (1898-1943) | Who Are These Children? | 1969 (Spring-Summer) | Faber Music, 1972 | Moderate | A boy’s description of the town. (Scottish dialect) | D4 – G5 | F#4 – F#5 | Liltingly; 12/16 | 0:58 | Descending phrases; lilting melody; leap of a ninth | Moderate | Eighth/sixteenth groupings throughout; descending in the right hand; | Meter changes often; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1144 | ||||||||||
38 | A Poison Tree | William Blake (1757-1827) | The Red Cockatoo & other songs | 1935 (Mar. 2) | Faber Music Limited © 1994 | Moderate | Seeds of bitterness grow and destroy | C#3– F#4 | A3 – D4 | Allegro moderato; 4/4 | 2:55 | Declamatory; dynamic variety; chromatic ascending lines | Difficult | Detached, aggressive, syncopated, eighth and sixteenth rhythms; triplet stirring in bass clef with counter melody in treble clef | |||||||||||
39 | A Riddle (The Earth) | William Soutar (1898-1943) | Who Are These Children? | 1969 (Spring-Summer) | Faber Music, 1972 | Moderate | A riddle about the earth. (Scottish dialect) | C4 – F#5 | G4 – B4 | Gay; 6/8 | 1:12 | Repetitive; bouncy melody; largest leap is a P5; unison with the piano | Moderate | Quick bouncy 6/8 with right hand chords; octaves with the melody of the voice; | Meter changes randomly; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1144 | ||||||||||
40 | A Song of Enchantment | Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) | Tit for Tat | 1929 | Faber Music Limited © 1969 | Moderate | A discerning reminiscence of one’s life | C4 – F5 | Eb4 – C5 | Moderately slow; 6/8 | 2:27 | Approachable, folk-like melody; mixture of duple and triple rhythms; | Moderate | Duple against triple rhythms between treble and bass clefs; smooth and lilting | |||||||||||
41 | A Widow Bird | Percy Shelley (1792-1822) | single song | 1930 (18 Sep.) | manuscript; not available for performance | Moderate | Song of sorrow | E4 – E#5 | G4 – D5 | Poco Lento; 3/4 | 0:55 | Ascending perf. 5th & aug. 4th leaps into passaggio; chromaticism; enharmonic spellings; diminuendo on higher notes | Moderate | Chordal; sustained; chromatic throughout; triplet figures in bass clef | |||||||||||
42 | As it is, Plenty | Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) | On This Island | 1937 (Oct. 9) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1938 | Moderate | No matter what happens, you’ll have enough. | D4 – G5 | E4 – E5 | Allegretto ritmico – non troppo presto; 2/2 | 1:44 | Inconsistent phrase structure with sixteenth pick-up entrances; dotted eighth/sixteenth rhythms throughout; sustained F#5 | Difficult | Chromatic steady rhythmic pulse with close chord clusters; unison double handed passages; ascending octaves between hands; glissando (on white notes) | mm. 23, the poco animando is not in the manuscript; | ||||||||||
43 | At the Mid Hour of Night | Thomas Moore (1779-1852) | Volume 4: Moore’s Irish Melodies | 1957 | Boosey & Co., Ltd., 1960 | Moderate | Memory of a lost love. | Eb4 – G5 | Eb4 – Eb5 | Very slow; 9/8 | 2:21 | Legato, exposed phrases; requires rhythmic and pitch security; elegant ascending phrases to G5; | Difficult | Left hand drone; syncopated, right hand chords with reach spanning over an octave; offset sixteenth/eighth pattern in right hand | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1067 | ||||||||||
44 | Autumn | Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) | Tit for Tat | 1931 | Faber Music Limited © 1969 | Moderate | Loss of a child | Eb4– Eb5 | F4 – Bb4 | Rather fast; 2/2 | 1:10 | Modified strophic form; short phrases; approachable melody; some chromatic alterations | Moderate | Churning eighth notes; sections of sustained chords; some down-beat syncopation | Accompaniment was originally written for string quartet | ||||||||||
45 | Avenging and Bright | Thomas Moore (1779-1852) | Volume 4: Moore’s Irish Melodies | 1957 | Boosey & Co., Ltd., 1960 | Moderate | Revenge on the murderers of war. | D4 – F#5 | F#4 – D5 | Fast and fierce; 3/4 | 1:05 | Quarter notes with running eighth-notes throughout; leap of a min. 7th at the end of each verse; eighth-note interval figures vary | Difficult | Left hand changes register frequently; 32nd-note grace notes in the right hand; running eighths in the left had with chordal, right hand accompaniment | Optional ending back to F#5; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1063 | ||||||||||
46 | Birthday Song | Robert Burns (1759-1796) | A Birthday Hansel, op. 92 | 1975 | Not published | Moderate | A celebration of a friend. | D4 – Ab5 | B4 – D#5 | March-like; 2/2 | 1:20 | Jumpy; consistent leaps over a Perf. 5th; rhythm is not that difficult; high lying phrases | n/a | Chordal tremolos, interspersed with active arpeggios and scales; control of dynamic very important | Meter changes quite often; there is no arrangement for piano and the harp part is not published therefore piano difficulty has been left blank | ||||||||||
47 | Birthday Song for Erwin | Ronald Duncan (1914-1982) | The Red Cockatoo & other songs | 1945 (Oct. – Nov.) | Faber Music Limited © 1994 | Moderate | A tribute to a man’s birth. | Db4 – G#5 | A4 – E5 | Allegro moderato; 3/4 | 1:04 | Dotted eighth and triplet syncopations; two descending seventh intervals; a few sustained F#5s | Difficult | Parallel ascending, repetitive thirds, with syncopated left hand | Meter shifts from 3/4 to 4/4 | ||||||||||
48 | Bonny at Morn (E. F. A.) | N/A | Eight Folksong Arrangements | 1976 (Apr. – Jun.) | Eight Folksong Arrangements | Moderate | A lullaby. | Eb4 – F5 | F4 – C5 | [Gently rocking]; 6/4 | 2:39 | Requires some pitch independence; ascending and descending octave leaps; | Moderate | Both hands in treble clef for the first two verses; undulating eighth notes in left hand with right hand melodic interjections; detached chordal section; undulating section reverses hands | For harp and voice; transcribed for piano by Colin Matthews in Benjamin Britten: Complete Folksong Arrangements. *Words and melody from North countrie ballads, songs and pipe tunes, arr. W. Gillies Whittaker (J. Curwen & Sons), n.d. Britten made an earlier arrangement of this song for voice and guitar in ca. October 1958, which was included in volume 6 of the Folk Song Arrangements. Although different, the two accompaniments share one or two brief melodic patterns. | ||||||||||
49 | Bonny at Morn (F. V. 6) | Traditional (Northumberland) | Volume 6: England | c. 1958 (Oct.) | Boosey & Co., Ltd., 1961 | Moderate | A lullaby | F4 – G5 | G4 – D5 | Gently rocking; 6/4 | 2:34 | Requires some pitch independence; Ascending and descending octave leaps; | Difficult | Begins simply with rolled chords; moves into eighth note passages in both hands, followed by sixteenth note passages; multiple arpeggiated flourishes | For guitar and voice; transcribed for piano by Richard Walters in Benjamin Britten: Complete Folksong Arrangements. Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1089 | ||||||||||
50 | Ca the Yowes | Robert Burns (1759-1796) | Volume V: British Isles | 1951 (pre Apr. 9) | Boosey & Co., Ltd., 1958 | Moderate | A love song. | D4 – F#5 | F#4 – B4 | Broadly; 2/4 | 2:23 | Possible two-measure phrases; fermatas on E5 and F#5 during each verse; dotted rhythms permeate | Moderate | Begins and ends simply, yet grows to include flourishing triplets and quintuplets | Scottish dialect | ||||||||||
51 | Come You Not From Newcastle? | Hullah’s Song Book (English) | Volume 3: British Isles | 1946 (pre. Feb. 21) | Boosey & Co., Ltd., 1947 | Moderate | A young maiden questions about her love | D4 – G5 | F4 – D5 | Fast, with spirit; 2/2 | 1:11 | Many ascending octave leaps; not many optimal breaths; bouncy melody; wide dynamic range; | Moderate | Consistent syncopated figure throughout, either in both hands in just left hand; full chord interjections from the right hand | |||||||||||
52 | Cradle Song | Louise MacNeice (1907-1963) | The Red Cockatoo & other songs | c. 1942 (Sep.) | Faber Music Limited © 1994 | Moderate | A lullaby | Bb3 – Ab5 | F4 – F5 | Very slow and rhythmic; 12/8 | 2:42 | Sustained F5; lilting blues melody; | Moderate | Varying accompaniment figures including rolled chords; standard 12/8 blues accompaniment; parallel scales in octaves | |||||||||||
53 | David of the White Rock | N/A | Eight Folksong Arrangements | 1976 (Apr. – Jun.) | Eight Folksong Arrangements | Moderate | The end of a life. (Welsh) | C4 – Ab5 | F4 – C5 | [Slow]; 3/4 | 2:09 | Flowing eighth notes; ascending octave leaps; unexpected chromatic alterations; | Moderate | Repetitive quarter note chords; counter melody running between hands; chromatic alterations | For harp and voice; transcribed for piano by Colin Matthews in Benjamin Britten: Complete Folksong Arrangements. *Melody by David Owen and English words by Thomas Oliphant, from Hullah's The song book (Macmillan, 1866), no. 247. Welsh words by John Ceiriog Hughes and (second verse) Osian Ellis. | ||||||||||
54 | Dear Harp of My Country | Thomas Moore (1779-1852) | Volume 4: Moore’s Irish Melodies | 1957 | Boosey & Co., Ltd., 1960 | Moderate | A patriotic hymn. | C4 – G5 | F4 – F5 | Slowly moving; 6/8 | 2:31 | Pretty, flowing melody; traditional Irish rhythms; leaps of sixths to F5; descending sixteenth notes; a few high-lying phrases | Difficult | Undulating sixteenths in both hands; right hand becomes triplets against the left hand sixteenths; | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1069 | ||||||||||
55 | Diaphenia | Henry Constable (1562-1613) | single song | 1929 (4 Sept.) | manuscript; not available for performance | Moderate | Love song to Diaphenia | D#3 – F#4 (opt. A4) | F#3 – C#4 | Moderato con animando (Allegretto in faircopy); 4/4 | 2:25 | Phrases rise and fall; requires pitch independence; rubato; approachable, text-based melody; some chromaticism; opt. A4 is indicated pp | Moderate | Chordal; some treble clef arpeggiation | Britten indicates the piece was written for tenor; modified strophic poetic form. According to correspondence between the authors and the Britten-Pears Foundation this manuscript is in preparation for publication. | ||||||||||
56 | Départ | Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) | Les Illuminations | 1939 (Oct. 4) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1944 | Moderate | Closing commentary on the visions just experienced. | Gb4 – G5 | G4 – D5 | Largo mesto; 6/8 | 1:47 | Long phrases mirrored in piano; duple against triple feel; some chromaticism; | Moderate | Eighth note chords; octaves in right hand; | Meter changes; | ||||||||||
57 | Eho! Eho! | Traditional | Volume 2: France | 1942 (Dec.) | Hawkes and Son, Ltd. 1946 | Moderate | A jealous parable for my lady. | A4 – G5 | B4 – F5 | Poco presto; 6/8 | 1:33 | F5 grace notes to E5; declamatory beginning of each verse; quickly moving, short, syllabic phrases; grace note turns; | Difficult | Grace note of ninths in left hand; eighth note response in right hand; sixteenth note flourish and the end of verses; chromaticism | |||||||||||
58 | Elegy | William Blake (1757-1827) | Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings | 1943 (Mar. – Apr.) | Boosey & Co., Ltd. 1943 | Moderate | The stress of the day has found its way into your dreams. | C#4 – G5 | G4 – B4 | Andante appassionato; 4/4 | 3:37 | Short melody, filled with chromatic alterations; pharses span vocal range; | Difficult | Syncopated, drone-like chords with eighth note interjections from the left hand; | |||||||||||
59 | Epitaph: The Clerk | Herbert Asquith (1881-1947) | Three early songs for medium voice and piano | 1926 | Faber Music Limited; © 1985 (post.) | Moderate | Death will come despite hard work | C4 – F5 | F4 – C5 | Steady and rhythmic; | 0:45 | Simple and descending vocal lines; some step-wise chromaticism | Moderate | *Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC404 | |||||||||||
60 | Fanfare | Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) | Les Illuminations | 1939 (Mar. – Oct. 25) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1944 | Moderate | I hold the key to the savage parade. | B4 – E5 | E5 | Maestoso (poco presto); 4/4 | 1:49 | Repeated E5 | Difficult | Piano transcription by the composer; many tremolos; instrumental lines that come out of the orchestral texture; | As this piece would likely never be performed outside of the context of this cycle the voice level of this piece does not reflect what the cycle would require. | ||||||||||
61 | Farfield | John Lydgate (c. 1370-c. 1452) | single song | 1955 | Published in The Grasshopper; School magazine for Gresham’s School, on the occasion of their 400th anniversary | Moderate | A hymn to Farfield | C4 – G5 | E4 – E5 | not indicated; 6/8 | 1:15 | Short phrases; 8v jumps; syncopation | Moderate | Bass clef is dotted quarter-note chords for the entire song; treble clef is more intricate melody; sixteenth-note scales; syncopations | Gresham’s School holds the copyright for this song, which while listed in Britten’s catalog of published works, is not readily available for performance. *Britten's note at the end states 'Lines from the Testament of John Lydgate (The Monk of Bury) lived about 1370-1452 but they still apply. . .' Composed for the 1955 issue of Grasshopper, the school magazine of Gresham's School, Holst, which celebrated the 400th anniversary of the school's foundation. The song was reproduced as a facsimile of the fair copy. Farfield had been Britten's house while he was at the school (1928-30). | ||||||||||
62 | Fileuse | Traditional | Volume 2: France | 1942 (Dec.) | Hawkes and Son, Ltd. 1946 | Moderate | A bittersweet remembrance of an old shepherdess’s life | D4 – D5 | A4 – D5 | Vivace; 2/2 | 1:26 | Syllabic wordy melody; a sort of tongue twister on “tra, la, la” like phrase; simple rhythms | Difficult | Fast eighth note duples alternating between hands; with that as a base, more figures are added to the pattern; pedal tones in left hand; detached eighth notes in both hands | |||||||||||
63 | Funeral Blues | Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) | Cabaret Songs | 1937 (17 Jun.) | Cabaret Songs; Faber Music 1980 | Moderate | My love is dead. | C4 – Ab5 | C4 – F4 | no tempo indication; C | 1:39 | Half-step motion; distinction between D and Db requires a good ear; One very high-lying phrase could make this piece moderately difficult | Difficult | Three staves at times; chordal throughout; quintuplet and sextuplet rhythms; chromaticism throughout | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC823.1 | ||||||||||
64 | Fuzzy-Wuzzy | Rudyard Kipling* (1869-1936) | 12 Songs for the Mezzo-Soprano and Contralto Voice | c. 1922 | Home Songs 21 Kirkley Cliff Rd. Lowestoft; not available for performance | Moderate | Sarcastic tribute to the African Fuzzy-Wuzzy who, despite their heathenism, fought bravely against the British. | A3 – F#5 | D4 – D5 | no indication; 12/8 | 2:20 | Measure of sustained F5-sharp; dialect; militaristic rhythms, but jovial; some sixteenth and eighth syncopation; a few chromatic lines | Moderate | Fairly chordal; some inside voice independence; some syncopation; very marcato | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC21 | ||||||||||
65 | How Sweet the Answer | Thomas Moore (1779-1852) | Volume 4: Moore’s Irish Melodies | 1957 | Boosey & Co., Ltd., 1960 | Moderate | The resounding response of love from one to another. | F#4 – F#5 | B4 – C#5 | Flowing; 6/8 | 1:40 | Sweet legato melody; natural rise and fall of phrase; some shorter phrases; dotted eighth and eighth note lilting rhythms | Moderate | Rocking eighth note figure in the right hand with left hand interjections crossing hands; octaves in bass clef | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1065 | ||||||||||
66 | I Was Lonely and Forlorn | N/A | Eight Folksong Arrangements | 1976 (Apr. – Jun.) | Eight Folksong Arrangements | Moderate | Unrequited love. (Welsh) | E4 – G5 | F4 – Bb4 | Flowing; 3/4 | 1:24 | Simple legato melody; elegant, muted, octave leaps to upper register | Moderate | Even sixteenths followed by triplet sixteenths in repeating pattern | For harp and voice; transcribed for piano by Colin Matthews in Benjamin Britten: Complete Folksong Arrangements. *Words and melody from Ancient national airs of Gwent and Morgannwg (1844). | ||||||||||
67 | I wonder as I wander | John Jacob Niles (1892-1980) | Songs of the Hill Folk | Tom Bowling and Other Song Arrangements, Benjamin Britten: Complete Folk Song Arrangements, Boosey & Hawkes 2001 | Moderate | Pondering of the coming of Christ. | Eb4 – G5 | G4 – Eb5 | [Freely]; 6/4 | 3:28 | Familiar J. J. Niles song, with familiar harmony | Easy | Piano interludes are Britten’s, the remainder is the familiar song of Niles; grace notes and ornaments fill the single handed interludes | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC883 | |||||||||||
68 | Il est quelqu'un sur terre | Traditional | Volume 2: France | 1942 (Dec.) | Hawkes and Son, Ltd. 1946 | Moderate | Song at a spinning wheel | F4 – F5 | Bb3 – Db4 | Grave; 4/8 | 3:19 | Slow yet flowing phrases; one long phrase in each verse with no optimal breath; eighths and sixteenths | Moderate | Begins plainly; becomes more complicated; quarters and halves become rocking sixteenths and eighths in interval | Meter changes | ||||||||||
69 | Interlude (to E.M.*) | Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) | Les Illuminations | 1939 (Mar. – Oct. 25) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1944 | Moderate | A repeat of the first song (I alone hold the keys to the savage parade.) | B4 – E5 | E5 | Moderato ma comodo; 4/4 | 1:35 | Repeated E5 | Difficult | Piano transcription by the composer; many tremolos; instrumental lines that come out of the orchestral texture; | As this piece would likely never be performed outside of the context of this cycle the voice level of this piece does not reflect what the cycle would require. | ||||||||||
70 | L'Enfance | Victor Hugo (1802-1885) | Quatre Chansons Françaises | 1928 (Jun. 17 – Aug. 21) | Faber Music, 1982 | Moderate | Joyful innocence of a young child while his mother lay dying. | E4 - G#5 | F4 - E5 | Animato; C | 4:15 | Short phrases; moving vocal lines; quintuplet; one sustained G#5 | Difficult | Orchestral reduction; reflects the differing characters of the story; constant moving triplets between hands; 8 ms. postlude | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC587 | ||||||||||
71 | La Noël passée | Traditional | Volume 2: France | 1942 (Dec.) | Hawkes and Son, Ltd. 1946 | Moderate | An orphan beggar on Christmas eve | F4 – G5 | Bb4 – F5 | Allegretto con molto ritmo; 3/4 | 2:50 | Simple melody; sustained F5 on closed vowel in each verse | Moderate | Beginning of each verse both hands in bass clef; heavy accompaniment; quarter note outlining of chords in right hand | Each verse has a minor and major section | ||||||||||
72 | Le roi s’en va-t’en chasse | Traditional | Volume 2: France | 1942 (Dec.) | Hawkes and Son, Ltd. 1946 | Moderate | True love outweighs gold and riches | Eb4 – Eb5 | Ab4 – C5 | Vivace; 6/8 | 1:50 | Simple charming melody; Syllabic and wordy; melody changes direction rapidly to return to its origin | Moderate | Hunting call motive; eighth note octaves; all in treble clef; rolled quarter note chords | |||||||||||
73 | Les Nuits de Juin | Victor Hugo (1802-1885) | Quatre Chansons Françaises | 1928 (Jun. 17 – Aug. 21) | Faber Music, 1982* | Moderate | Awaiting the coming dawn. | C4 - G5 | F#4 - D5 | Lento e molto rubato; C | 2:30 | Short phrases; syllabic, free melodic line; chromatic motion at times; recitative-like sections; varying rhythmic figures | Difficult | Orchestral reduction; multi-voiced; myriad of technical elements; sextuplets and triplets; rhythmically challenging | Rubato throughout; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC587 | ||||||||||
74 | Lilian | Alfred Lord Tennyson (1802-1892) | single song | 1929 (19 Feb.) | manuscript; not available for performance | Moderate | I love a fairy that is coy, but I will crush her. | E3 – F#4 | E3 – E4 | Allegro molto; 3/4 | 2:35 | Descending phrases; short phrases; gets more aggressive as the song and poem progress; dramatic fortes on higher notes that resolve downward at conclusion; chromatic | Moderate | Music-box-like; flowing 3/4 pattern; chromatic; heavy syncopation in verse three | Meter changes between 2 and 3 beats per measure; tempo shifts | ||||||||||
75 | Lord! I Married me a Wife | N/A | Eight Folksong Arrangements | 1976 (Apr. – Jun.) | Eight Folksong Arrangements | Moderate | The trouble of being married. | E4 – E5 | E4 – B4 | Fast and spiteful; 2/2 | 0:50 | Rhythmically independent; declamatory; | n/a (harp) | Chords; triplets and sixteenths in contraray motion between hands; parallel motion between hands; | For harp and voice; transcribed for piano by Colin Matthews in Benjamin Britten: Complete Folksong Arrangements. *Words and melody from English folk songs from the southern Appalachians, collected by Cecil Sharp, ed. Maud Karpeles, 2nd ed. (OUP, 1932), vol II, no. 116, p. 122. | ||||||||||
76 | Lucy | William Wordsworth (1770-1850) | Six songs | 1926 (5 Dec.) | manuscript; not available for performance | Moderate | I didn’t know how much I loved England until I left | E4 – F#5 (opt. G#5) | A4 – D4 | Allegro molto; 3/8 | 1:15 | Mostly dotted quarter, straight rhythms; repeated D4; short phrases given tempo | Moderate | Beginning, dotted quarter chords; later, sustained bass line with arpeggiated eighth notes in treble clef | |||||||||||
77 | Master Kilby | Volume 6: England | 1958 (pre Jun. 17) | Boosey & Co., Ltd., 1961 | Moderate | Doing all for love. | E4 – F#5 | A4 – D5 | Graceful; 3/4 | 1:40 | Simple legato melody; one phrase each verse ascends to F#5 and continues down in scalar motion | Easy | Detached eighth note accompaniment; many rests between figures | For guitar and voice; transcribed for piano by Richard Walters in Benjamin Britten: Complete Folksong Arrangements. | |||||||||||
78 | Night | Ronald Duncan (1914-1982) | Three Songs from This Way to the Tomb | 1944 – 1945 (Oct.) | Faber Music Limited © 1988 | Moderate | Description of Night. | C4 – F5 | F#4 – B4 | Andante con moto; 5/4 | 1:11 | Long phrases; quartal melody sequence; | Moderate | Some melodic doubling; rolled harp-like chords; | Accompaniment states for harp or piano, but the gestures seem more appropriate for harp than piano. | ||||||||||
79 | Not Even Summer Yet | Peter Burra (1909-1937) | The Red Cockatoo & other songs | 1937 (Oct. 9) | Faber Music Limited © 1994 | Moderate | Words cannot express the lover’s beauty | C#4 – Gb5 | A4 – E5 | Lento ma con moto; C | 1:52 | Descending, cascading vocal lines; growing chromatic shifts in the middle section; some pitch independence required | Moderate | Left-hand syncopations; sixteenths flowing between hands; octave doubling melody in right hand | |||||||||||
80 | Nurse's Song | John Philip, (1631-1706) | A Charm of Lullabies | 1947 (Nov.-17 Dec.) | A Charm of Lullabies; Boosey & Hawkes, 1949 | Moderate | Sweet, rocking lullaby. | A3 – E5 | Bb3 – D5 | Andante piacevole; 6/8 | 3:20 | Unaccompanied introduction and conclusion; accidentals that color the harmony below require independence; one phrase of sustatined singing of D#5 and E5 | Moderate | Gentle, rocking 6/8 chords; sixteenth note flourishes; | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1013 | ||||||||||
81 | O That I Had Ne'er Been Married | Robert Burns (1759-1796) | 12 Songs for Mezzo Soprano and Contralto Voice | 1922 | Faber Music Limited; © 1985 (post.) [Home Songs 21 Kirkley Cliff Rd. Lowestoft] | Moderate | Warning to young men about marriage | D3 – G4 | B3 – D4 | Dreamily; 6/8 | 1:20 | Lilting vocal line; many repetitive notes; two sustained G4s; rubato throughout; textually driven rhythm; one measure mixed meter; Scottish dialect | Moderate | Arpeggiated, guitar-like accompaniment in treble clef; simple octaves in bass clef; rubato throughout | In this original version, the ending finishes in mm. 24, and only contains the text “they come been” once; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC41 | ||||||||||
82 | O That I Had Ne'er Been Married | Robert Burns | Three early songs for medium voice and piano *[Augener Ltd., Music Printers and Binders, 287 Acton Lane, London] | 1922 | Faber Music Limited; © 1985 (post.) | Moderate | Warning to young men about marriage | D3 – G4 | B3 – D4 | Dreamily; 6/8 | 1:20 | Lilting vocal line; many repetitive notes; two sustained G4s; rubato throughout; textually driven rhythm; one measure mixed meter; Scottish dialect | Moderate | Arpeggiated, guitar-like accompaniment in treble clef; simple octaves in bass clef; rubato throughout | *In the original version, the ending finishes in mm. 24, and only contains the text “they come been” once | ||||||||||
83 | O The Sight Entrancing | Thomas Moore (1779-1852) | Volume 4: Moore’s Irish Melodies | 1957 | Boosey & Co., Ltd., 1960 | Moderate | A song of bravery and freedom. | B3 – G5 | C4 – E5 | Fast and brilliant; 2/2 | 1:32 | Moving, brisk melody; quick transitions to different areas of the voice; few places to breathe | Difficult | Highly syncopated right hand; intensely rhythmic; wide range | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1072 | ||||||||||
84 | O can ye sew cushions? | Scottish tune | Volume 1: British Isles | 1940 (c. Dec.) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1943 | Moderate | A lullaby (Scottish dialect) | Eb4 – Ab5 | Ab4 – C5 | Gently rocking; 3/4 | 1:48 | Rise and fall of line; ascending min. 6th leaps to Ab5; | Moderate | Duple against triple alternates between hands; lively section has a syncopated feel with grace notes | Lively section in 4/4 | ||||||||||
85 | Oft in the stilly night | Thomas Moore (1779-1852) | Volume 4: Moore’s Irish Melodies | 1957 | Boosey & Co., Ltd., 1960 | Moderate | A recollection from one mature in years. | Eb4 – Db5 | Ab4 – C5 | Dreamily; 2/4 (voice), 6/8 (piano) | 2:26 | Hazy quality; traditional Irish rhythms; simple, legato melody; duple feel against triple feel of accompaniment | Moderate | Consistent eighth note figures throughout, either in the left hand or right hand; left hand is an augmentation of the voice melody in dotted quarter notes | |||||||||||
86 | Quand j’étais chez mon père | Traditional | Volume 2: France | 1942 (Dec.) | Hawkes and Son, Ltd. 1946 | Moderate | Shepherd turns a negative situation into a positive one | A4 – E5 | A4 – A5 | Con ritmo deliberato (alla Ländler); 3/4 | 1:42 | Boisterous melody; step-wise in motion; alternate ending for optional high notes; | Difficult | Simplicity until the end; boom-chuck accompaniment; rhythmic dance like; follows voice during refrain; repetitive eighth note figure in right hand; end is very busy and dense | |||||||||||
87 | Rich and Rare | Thomas Moore (1779-1852) | Volume 4: Moore’s Irish Melodies | 1957 | Boosey & Co., Ltd., 1960 | Moderate | A tale of honor and virtue | D4 – F#5 | D4 – D5 | Gently moving; 3/4 | 2:08 | Phrases fall, then rise; leaps of sixths and octaves; | Moderate | Rhythmic independence between hands; continuous syncopated chords in right hand; offset melody in the left hand; figures switch for the final verse | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1068 | ||||||||||
88 | Riddle (The Child You Were) | William Soutar (1898-1943) | Who Are These Children? | 1969 (Spring-Summer) | Faber Music, 1972 | Moderate | Literally, a riddle. (Scottish dialect) | D4 – F5 | F4 – A#5 | Lightly (not fast); 2/2 | 0:54 | Syllabic speech-like melody; natural flow of text; independence of pitch | Moderate | Alternating chords between hands; | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1144 | ||||||||||
89 | Royauté | Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) | Les Illuminations | 1939 (Jul. 6) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1944 | Moderate | A peasant couple plays royalty for a day. | D#4 – F#5 | B4 – E5 | Allegro maestoso; 2/2 | 1:38 | Catchy melody; descending, short phrases; unexpected rhythmic motives | Difficult | Majestic, sharp, dotted rythms with repetitive octave triplets at times; chordal moments; | |||||||||||
90 | Sagesse | Paul Verlaine (1844-1896) | Quatre Chansons Françaises | 1928 (Jun. 17 – Aug. 21) | Faber Music, 1982* | Moderate | Reflection on life | F4 - G5 | B4 - Eb5 | Lento ma non troppo; C | 2:42 | Ascending and descending lines mostly in step-wise motion; chromatic alteration throughout; one high-lying phrase; simple rhythms | Difficult | Orchestral reduction; multiple voices between hands; constantly moving sixteenth notes; | Multiple meter shifts; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC587 | ||||||||||
91 | Sail On, Sail On | Thomas Moore (1779-1852) | Volume 4: Moore’s Irish Melodies | 1957 | Boosey & Co., Ltd., 1960 | Moderate | The continuation of life until the sweet release of death. | F4 – F5 | F4 – A4 | Quietly rocking; 6/8 | 2:35 | Rocking quarter note eighth note figures; descending leap of a min. 6th; descending octave jump | Moderate | Lilting quarter note, eighth note rhythms; chords in right hand | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1064 | ||||||||||
92 | Salley In Our Alley | Henry Carey (1687-1743) | Volume V: British Isles | 1959 (pre Jun. 22)* | Boosey & Co., Ltd., 1961 | Moderate | Pining for time with Sally. | D4 – G5 | A4 – D5 | With graceful movement; 3/4 | 3:42 | Accessible, tuneful melody; Leaps of a M11; multiple verses | Difficult | Passages of arpeggiated sixteenth-notes in both hands juxtaposed with simple rolled-chord phrases; | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1094 | ||||||||||
93 | She's Like the Swallow | N/A | Eight Folksong Arrangements | 1976 (Apr. – Jun.) | Eight Folksong Arrangements | Moderate | A description of the beauty of a lost love. | E4 – G5 | B4 – E5 | Flowing; 3/4 | 1:54 | Long, legato phrases; ascending phrases immediately descend; simple rhythms | Moderate | Flowing eighth notes in inner voices; octave melodic line in right hand; octaves in left hand; chordal sections | For harp and voice; transcribed for piano by Colin Matthews in Benjamin Britten: Complete Folksong Arrangements. *Words and melody from Folk songs from Newfoundland collected by Maud Karpeles (Faber & Faber, 1971), no. 83, p. 243. | ||||||||||
94 | Silver | Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) | Tit for Tat | 1928 | Faber Music Limited © 1969 | Moderate | A nocturne | B3 – F5 | E4 – E5 | Slow and quiet; 2/4 | 1:20 | Wide range and tessitura, yet not disjunct; repeated F5 at p dynamic; alternating duple and triple rhythms | Difficult | Variety of motivic devices including chords, scalar passages, arpeggiated passages, and tremolo; seems to be its own character | Alternates between two and three beats per measure | ||||||||||
95 | Sonetto XXXVIII (Rendete agli occhi miei) | Michelangelo Buonarroti | Michelangleo Sonnets | 1940 (Mar. – Oct.) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1943* | Moderate | Give me back my tears, since you don’t love me. | F4 – Ab5 | A4 – C5 | Allegretto quasi una serenata; 6/8 | 1:48 | Limited range; when the line ascends it immediately descends; | Difficult | Consistent eighth notes alternating between hands with grace notes attached to each right hand gesture; | *Boosey score contains translations by Pears and Elizabeth Mayer | ||||||||||
96 | Supper | William Soutar (1898-1943) | Who Are These Children? | 1969 (Spring-Summer) | Faber Music, 1972 | Moderate | A supper blessing. (Scottish dialect) | D#4 – Eb5 | F#4 – A#4 | Slowly moving; 2/4 | 1:16 | Strophic; descending lines; no register extremes; | Moderate | Rocking left hand with syncopated chords in the right hand; | Short area of metric diversity; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1144 | ||||||||||
97 | Take, o Take These Lips Away | William Shakespeare (1564-1616) | Six songs | 1926 (12 Nov.) | manuscript; not available for performance | Moderate | Shakespearian love song | C#4 – F#5 | G#4 – F#5 | Allegro moderato; 4/4 | 1:15 | Simple rhythms; ascending phrases; lies in secondo passaggio | Easy | Chordal; some chromatic alterations; simple rhythms | |||||||||||
98 | Tell me the truth about love | Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) | Cabaret Songs | 1938 (Jan) | Cabaret Songs; Faber Music 1980 | Moderate | What is love? Tell me. | A3 – A5 | F#4 – A4 | tempo rubato; C | 5:13 | Recitative like sections; three repetitive verses; descending chromatic triplet figures; jazzy melody; one very high-lying, wordy phrase could make this a moderately difficult piece; | Moderate | Constant swung triplet chords | *The only manuscript source (probably dating from the period of composition) for this work is a non-holograph copy, in the key of B flat major. There were subsequent copies of the piece made by Rosamund Strode, possibly in preparation of the publication in 1980 in the higher keys of D flat major and D major, the key of the published version. It is possible that the original key was B flat major, and it was later transposed up for Peter Pears to sing as he occasionally included this song in recitals after Britten's death. | ||||||||||
99 | The Ash Grove | Welsh tune | Volume 1: British Isles | 1941 (pre. Feb. 20) | Boosey & Hawkes, 1943 | Moderate | Remembering love lost | Db4 – F5 | G4 – Eb5 | Andantino; 3/4 | 2:09 | Short; adjoined phrases with minimal time to breathe; bi-tonal section must have pitch independence | Difficult | First verse in single line parallel motion; counter melody in right hand with rolled eighth note chords in left hand | |||||||||||
100 | The Auld Aik | William Soutar (1898-1943) | Who Are These Children? | 1969 (Spring-Summer) | Faber Music, 1972 | Moderate | The old oak has fallen. (Scottish dialect) | Eb4 – Gb5 | Eb4 – D5 | Slow and sad; 3/2 | 1:22 | Phrases start higher in the range and descend; little rhythmic support from the piano | Moderate | Chords; a few grace note flourishes; | Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1144 |